Knife-blade holder.



No. 784,289. 7 PATENTED MAR. 7, 1905. L. WESTON.

KNIFE BLADE HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25, 1904.

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NITED STATEs Patented March 7, 1905.

PATENT 'rFIcE.

LON WVESTON, OF BROCKTON. MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO FRANK WV.

WVHITUHER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

- KNlFE-BLADE HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,289, dated March 7, 1905.

Application filed March 25, 1904. Serial No. 199,929.

To (0Z7. whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LON TESTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brockton, in the county of Plymouth, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Knife-Blade Holders, of

which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention has for its object an improved knife-holder of the kind which is more especially adapted for the holding of a thin blade or strip of steel, the whole constituting a tool which is especially adapted for the use of shoe manufacturers and the like.

My invention will be readily understood from the following description, in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof are pointed out and clearly defined in the claims at the close of this specification.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 are views, partly in vertical section and partly in elevation, of a holder embodying my invention and showing the knife-blade in position. Figs. 1 and 2 ofsaid views show the holdingdevices proper from opposite sides thereof, and Fig. 3 shows an edge view of said holding device. Fig. 4 shows a detail of construction.

In holders of the kind to which my invention relates it is desirable that as long a knifeblade as possible should be accommodated by a holder of a given length, and, further, that each holder should be so constructed as to accommodate knives varying considerably in width in order that the operator may employ the same holder for a narrow blade or for one which is much wider, as well as for blades of intermediate widths. By the employment of my invention these desirable features, among others, are obtained.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a handle, preferably of wood. The said handle is bored or cut out longitudinally to form an interior cavity or recess 2 within the same. At the upper or open end of this recess a sleeve 3 is inserted, preferably of metal, said sleeve being fitted tightly within the wooden handle 1.

4 is a cap or ferrule fitting over the projecting end of the sleeve 3, the said cap or ferrule being provided with a slot 5 across the end or face thereof to accommodate the protruding jaws 6 and 7 and the knife 8, which is clamped in said jaws. The said jaws 6 and 7 are preferably each provided with a cam projection 9, the inclined face of which engages the end of the slot 5, asshown at 10, so that as the said jaws are drawn down within the handle 1 they are forced against the edges of the knife'blade and serve to clamp and hold the latter firmly. At the inner end each of the jaws 6 and T is pivoted at 12 and 13, respectively, to a socket or piece 14, in which a threaded hole is formed. The hole engages a threaded stud 16, which may be rigidly secured in the end of the handle 1 by means of a dowel-pin 31 or rivet or in any other wellknown manner, (see Fig. 4:.) said stud 16 projecting, as shown, within the recess 2 in the said handle. In practice 1 make the dowelpin or rivet 31 somewhat shorter in length than the outside diameter of the handle and fill up the ends of the holes, as shown at 32, thus giving the handle an attractive appearance. The lower ends of the jaws 6 and 7 are slightly offset and are attached to one side of the socket or piece 15, so that the latter is located centrally of the handle and is in a position to be readily made to engage the stud 16 when the jaws are inserted in the handle. The jaws 6 and T are attached to the side of the socket 15 by pivots 12 and 13, so that the jaws 6 and '7 are movable in one plane independently of the socket 15. The jaws 6 and 7 throughout a considerable portion of their length are recessed or grooved lengthwise thereof on their inner or proxi mate edges, asshown at 17, the said grooves serving to receive and hold the knife-blade 8, as will be clear from Figs. 1 and 2. The jaws 6 and 7 are also bent or offset, as shown at 18, Fig. 3, so that the lower ends thereof maybe pivoted, as above described, to one side of the socket or piece 15. The said socket 15 is located centralLw-that is, in the long axis of the handle-and the upper or protruding ends of the jaws 6 and 7 are also n'eferably in the line of the long axis of the handle. The clamping w V I i portions of the jaws 6 and 7-that is, those portions which contain the groove 17 -preferably extend to a point below the offset 18 that is, to a point nearer the inner or pivoted end of the jaws than the said-offset, as shown in the drawings. The precise extent or length of the grooved or clamping portions of the jaws is not, however, material. By shortening the said grooved portions, as shown, the hollow interior space 2 of the handle may be made of less diameter than would be the case if the said clamping portions were extended to the extreme lower or inner ends of the said jaws.

The knife 8 may, as shown, extend to the bottom of the space 2 within the handle, and thus a blade or knife of maximum length may be accommodated. The knife 8 is preferably of thin springy steel easily flexed, and there is no difificulty in causing it to assume the offset or curved position of the jaws 6 and 7, while at the same time it may he slipped rearwardly or outwardly with reference to the said jaws or the handle when the jaws are loosened. The offset of the jaws permits, as previously stated, the inner end of the knife to project downwardly to the bottom of the interior recess or cavity 2 past the top of the stud 16, and it also affords a more secure grip of the jaws on the blade when the latter is gripped thereby, as is the case when the said socket 15 is screwed down on the stud 16. In other words, the flexed position of the blade operates materially to prevent any slip thereof in the jaws, and the blade may thus be firmly held without as great a pressure or wedging action at the point 10 as would otherwise be necessary. In practice I find that a very slight turning of the jaws and consequent screwing down of the socket 15 on the stud 16 will serve to cause the jaws to be forced against the knife-blade sufficiently to hold it very firmly in place. As will be clear from Figs. 1 and 2, the jaws 6 and 7 diverge somewhat from their pivoted ends toward their free or protruding ends, thus permitting a considerable length of movement toward or from each other and accommodating knives of varying widths. The cutting edge of the blade is indicated at 19, as will be clear from Figs. 1 and 2.

As will be clear, the cam projection 9 might be omitted from one of the clamping-jaws 6 or 7 and in like manner one of said jaws may be rigidly secured to the socket-piece 15 without rendering my device inoperative. In such case, however, the clamping movement would be limited to one of the jaws only, and I prefer the form shown and hereinabove described, which represents the best embodiment of my invention now known to me.

By the employment of my invention a very efiicient knife-holder is provided which may be easily and cheaply constructed.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. A knife-blade holder comprising a longitudinally-recessed handle, a pair of clamping-jaws for engaging the opposite edges of the knife-blade having on one or both of said jaws a cam projection and offset to permit the passage of a knife-blade to the bottom of the longitudinal recess in the handle, a socketpiece on one side of which the inner ends of said jaws are secured and a threaded stud within the handle adapted to be screwed into a threaded hole in said socket-piece.

2. A knife-blade holder comprising a longitudinally recessed handle, a pair of clamping-jaws for engaging opposite edges of the knife-blade, having their inner ends offset to permit the passage of the knife-blade to the bottom of the longitudinal recess in the handle and having on oneor both of said jaws a cam projection, a socket-piece to which the offset inner ends of said jaws are secured, and a threaded stud within the handle adapted to engage a threaded hole in said socket-piece.

3. A knife-blade holder comprising a longitudinally-recessed handle, a pair of clamping-jaws for engaging the opposite edges of the knife-blade, having their inner ends offset to permit the passage of the knife-blade to the bottom of the longitudinal recess in the handle and having on one or both of said jaws a cam projection, a cap or ferrule on said handle having a slot therein through which the said clamping-jaws protrude, a socket-piece to which the offset inner ends of said jaws are secured and a threaded stud within the handle adapted to be screwed into athreaded hole in said socket-piece.

4. A knife-blade holder comprising a longitudinally-recessed handle, a pair of grooved clam ping-jaws'for engaging the opposite edges of the knife-blade, the grooves in said jaws extending throughout a portion only of the length of the said jaws, said clamping-jaws being offset to permit the passage of the knife blade to the bottom of the longitudinal recess in the handle, a cam projection on one or both of said jaws, a socket-piece to which the inner ends of said jaws are secured and a threaded stud adapted to be screwed into a threaded hole in said socket-piece.

5. A knife-blade holder comprising essentially a longitudinally-recessed handle, clamping means for engaging a knife-blade said clamping means being arranged at their inner end eccentrically of the axis of the said longitudinal recess in the said handle whereby the knife-blade is permitted to pass to the bottom of the said recess and a centrally-disposed stud engaging the said clamping means.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LON WVESTON. 

